Story:Star Trek: Infinite Voyages/Choices
| author = | published = June, July, & August 2013 | date = February 2368 | stardate = 45182.69 | previous = | next = | image2 = | caption2 = }} In Choices, the first episode of the second season, the crew of the adjust to crew shakeups and changing relationships and faces a major crisis when one of their own is taken prisoner after an unexpected firefight on an away mission. Summary The Pioneer stops at Starbase 157 for resupply, repairs, and some well-deserved leave for the crew before departing on their next mission, a series of geological surveys in Sector 347 of the Beta Quadrant, located on the far edge of Federation space. The departure of Lieutenant Sara Thales only a few months prior is still keenly felt as other colleagues settle into her roles as Chief Operations Officer and Second Officer. A new crew member, Lieutenant junior grade Tricia Jensen boards at the starbase and quickly wins the approval of her difficult to please superior, Lieutenant Commander Jasper Kingsley. She runs afoul of Dr. Robert Dalton when she fails to report for a standard post-transfer medical examination, but his ire is tempered by an unexpected mutual attraction when they finally meet in person. Jensen eventually reveals the reason for her transfer: she recently broke an already troubled engagement to Michael McKay, a civilian scientist on assignment to her previous ship and she's still struggling with the repercussions. Dalton has dismissed the idea of another romance at every turn since his wife's death two years earlier, and all but the most simple, purely professional interactions have suffered from his social withdrawal. In the face of a genuinely blossoming friendship, perhaps with the potential for something more, he now begins to question his detachment. On the eve of their new mission, members of the Command, Science, and Security divisions meet and plan the away team schedule for the coming days and weeks. All intelligence on their first stop, the Erissa system, reports no native sentient lifeforms and no known history of colonization. However, recent sensor information from larger ships that have passed nearby indicate several of the planets could be a excellent source of useful minerals. Captain Tobias Quinton and Lieutenant Tolly Gerard expect the surveys to be quick and uneventful, but Commander Franklin Xavier and Lieutenant Haria Lyron are more cautious. When the Pioneer reaches its destination, the away team beams down to the surface of Erissa IV. Though everything goes as planned at first, the team is suddenly ambushed by a group of mysterious, hostile aliens. Commander Xavier and the security team exchange fire with the aliens, but eventually Xavier orders Lieutenant Lyron to escort the science and security teams back to base camp and then return to the ship. Xavier covers the others as they retreat, but as the group is beamed up, Lyron sees him fall after being shot by one of the aliens. Despite everyone's best efforts, they are unable to beam Xavier up before his signal disappears as quickly as the aliens appeared. Captain Quinton says they have no choice but to assume Commander Xavier has been captured and act accordingly, but he suffers from a moment of frustration and indecision as the away team and senior staff regroup in an emergency meeting. The first step is obvious: they must circumvent the aliens' life sign cloaking technology before they can retrieve Xavier. A few days pass before Lieutenant Commander Kingsley, Lieutenant Gerard, and Lieutenant Valok complete their sensor modifications, but their first test ends in failure which results in an uncharacteristic outburst of anger from Captain Quinton, stunning those present. Quinton is acutely aware that the longer they go without any result to their rescue efforts, the sooner his superiors at Starfleet Command will order him to abandon them to continue their mission. He fears they have failed Xavier and Quinton's feelings of guilt eventually lead him to a realization about the depth of his feelings for Xavier. After learning of Captain Quinton's outburst and consulting with Dr. Ceri Powell, Ship's Counselor, Lieutenant Adriana Watley, newly promoted to Second Officer, confronts Quinton, who agrees to relinquish command for the time being. Not long after, Lieutenant Gerard makes a breakthrough after spending most of the night working in the lab, and Commander Xavier is quickly beamed back to the ''Pioneer. ''Lyron decides to throw a welcome home party for Xavier and enlists the help of Kingsley and Jensen to plan it. After several days of treatment in Sickbay, Xavier is cleared to return to duty, but not before an interrogation from Dr. Powell, who indicates there was concern that Xavier might have been manipulated by the aliens. Major characters *Tobias Quinton *Franklin Xavier *Robert Dalton *Tricia Jensen Chapters * * * * * * * * * * Category:Star Trek: Infinite Voyages episodes